Thefall ofInd 1anfootball

AstheAsianCup getsunderway, we lookatthechanging state offootballinIndia

ustraliais currently hostingthe 16th AFC.Asian Cup Footballtournament. From its hw11ble beginningsin 1956, tl1e Asian Cup event has grown into the region's biggest footbaU bonanza whichstands proudly alongside anytoplevel competition around tbe globein terms of excitement, entertainment and organisation. lebringstogetherAsia's cop national teamseveryfour years in afantastic feast of top-notch football.Australiahas been part of Asian circuitsince2006.

Witl1 16top regionalfootball nations Qapan, Australia,Korea Republic, DPR Korea,Iran, Kuwait,Oman,Uzbekistan,UA.E, Bahrain,SaudiArabia,Jordan, ChinaPR,Iraq,Palestineand Qatar) participating,this23-day, 32-match tournament is set to be afeast forfansinAustralia. Unfortunately tl10ugh,anda bit disappointingforthe half a million strong Indiandiaspora clowntrnder,TeamIndiafailed miserablyto get intothe final16. India'scmrentworldranking an1ong 199 football-nationsis 159, while inAsiatheirequivalent positionis 30among46. The numberdoesn'tlook great,butan entirely different picmre emerges if we go backto the 1950s and '60s whenIndiawasconsidered one of iliecop20 nationsinthe footballworld.Atthattime tllere wasno formal process forranJcing teams globally,it was largely based on performance.

Footballwasintroducedinthe sub-continentby ilieBritishand, after gainingindependence from chemin 1947,Indiainadeits

Olympicdebutin football at the 1948 Londo□ Games, but lose1-2 to Francein thefirst match.The national team thenqualifiedfor the 1950 WorldCupinBrazilhut werenotallowedto participate asIndian playersplayedbarefoot, whilethe wearingof bootswas amandatory requirement.Inthe 1956MelbourneOlympics,lndia became thefirstAsian nationto reachthesemi-finals defeating Australia4-2in thequarterfinals. Thehallmark of thewin was thehat trick bycentreforward Neville D'Souza,who became the first and, Lt11cilnow,only Asian to achieve tl1e featin theOlympics.

Achievingthe pinnacleinAsian football,India peakedduringthat periodwinninggoldat theNew Delhi andJakartaAsianGames in 1951 and1962 respectively, followed by.finishing runnersup at the MerdekaCup inMalaysia in 1959 and1964 and then the3"1 Asian CupinIsraelin1964.

A downhill journey has taken place since the□,iliough the national team managed to snatch the bronze medalat theBangkok Asian Games in1970.

So,what really contributedto thismassivefail,fromthe topto thebottom,inthespanof afew decades?

"Perhaps complacency anda lack of forward planning,"said septuagenarianfootballerClrnoi GoswamiwhenI caughtupwim himduring myrecent visitto Kolkaca.

Chuniistmquestionablya livinglegendof Indianfootball. Celebratedas one of mebest inside-forwardsIndiahasever produced,hemadehis fust internationalappearancein 1956andthenplayedinover50 matchesinmajor tomnaments like theOlympics,Asian Games, Asian Cupand Merdeka Football Tournament.Oneof the best in his categoryinAsiaduringhis heyday,hecaptainedIndiatowin theAsianGames goldmedal in 1962andmerunners uptrophies at theAsianCupandi'vlerdekaCup in1964.Duringiliactin,ehisname wasalmostpermanenton the list of AsianAll ScarsXI.Hewasalso agood cricketer.He played46fi.rst classmatches, captainedthe stateteamand finisbedoff withabatting andbowling averageof 28 and 24respectively. Outsidesports,he spentamajorpart of his workinglife asaSeniorManager withtheStateBankof India.

Accordingto Chuni Goswami, a key factor for India's success duringthe early1960s was ilie presence of several great footballers in tbe team. Alongside him, thatincludedail-time greats likePradipBanerjee, TulsidasBalaram, Ram Bahadur, Yousef Khan,Jarnail Singh, .Arnn Ghosh, Varadwaj and PetetTbangaraj. They were allregardedas wocld-class footballers and had the potential to achievemuchmore if they had the appropriate opportunity of weighingthemselves former atinternational levels beyond the OlympicsandAsian Cup every four years.But it didn't happen that way, mainly because of the inward focussedattitude of football administratorsof the time.Only Chuoiinhis prime hadanoffer fromilie famous English Club Tottenham Hocspur,but declined it in order to avoidlosinghis job with the bank.

Regarded asthearchitect of modernIndianfootball,Syed AbdulRahimwas mecoachof ilieIndiannational team from 1950 trntil his death in l963. He wasa greatmotivatorand understood tl1e game very well.It is saidwhat he taught his players in the50s were subscribed to in Brazilalmost a decade alater. He hadtheextraordinaryendowment of spotting talent. His deathcan beregarded as a significant trigger forthe collapseof Indian football asmanytalentssinceilien passed unnoticedor werenot amply nurtured.

Sinmltaneously, thedynamics andstyle of thegaineilien started changing worldwide. Speed andphysicalpower took over dribblingskillsand grmmd play, which were me sn-engths of IndianfootbaUers.Science andtechnology were introduced to analyseown andopposition team strengths and weaknesses. Physical exercise with weights and moderninstTun1ents became an integralpareof n-aining. Diets werechanged forhealthierlifestyles.

Top players mrned professional- joining clubs ailarotrndthe globeand starting to learnfrom each other, vastlyimprovingme standardof the game.

"i'vfoneydidn'tdriveusat all," Chunisaid.""i'vlost of us men had ajob-either with a hank or a stateor central government agencylike the Railways or Services.We werehappy withir while rigorously playing for om localclubs oroffice teamsin Calcutta, Hyderabad, Chennai or Mumbai.Inter club rivalry was immenseandwinningtheIPA Shieldor DurandCLlp for the club wasimaginablymoreimportant than thinking of playingfor any European side."

"However,whenplayingfor India,we werea unified team withstrongnational pride," Chuni continued."That passionate hunger for achievingsomething for our country gave us the killerinstinct," he added,while reminiscingabout the golden daysof Indian footbaU."Off course to chis, weneed to add the contributions of our coachRahim without whom theresultscould havebeendifferent"

"Weregrettably fell backin alinost of all of iliem," commentedChuni. Todaymany,io particular some of the football bureaucrats in India,inaneffo.rc co hide fai.lures,pointfingersat the rise andtiseof cricket as acatlSefor ilie demiseoffootball.Chuni himself,beingan established cricketer,doesn'tagree with that position. He strongly believes me reason for the decline has been largely dueto lack of suitable youth developmentprograms and aninabilityto comeout of socalled comfort zones.

However,ClmniGoswami sees some raysof hope, citingthe example of thenewlyintroduced IndianSuper League where local footballers aregetting decent exposure co transnational benchmarks wiilirespectco trainingandskillsin1provemencs, while playing competitively andprofessionally wim some reasonably practiced international players. " evertheless, atotal comebackmay require the whole fr_ameworkbehind footbaUi.n India to be changed and valueadded,"he concludes. Perhaps Primei\liinister Modi maybeable to progress footballi.n thesame way asheem7isions movingIndia forward.

AtennistourtoIndia morethan80yearsago sowed the seeds oftruefriendship memoirs!Quitedifferentfromme sleepysuburbsofPerth.There wascertainlynotthecultural connectednessweseenow.Not muchwasknownabout.Indiaby Australiansandviceversa.

WhileAustralia andIndiabattle itourond1e cricketfield thisseason,iris obviouseverybatsmenwantsto reachaTestcentmy.Forusmere mortals,theclosestthingwecan aspirecoistocelebratea100"' bird1day.WilliamStevens('Chum') reachesthatmilestoneonTuesday 13January.

Outsideofcricket,Chum, wholivesinthePerthsuburbof \X'oodlands,wasoneofthefirst WestAustralianstovisitIndiato playhigh.levelsport.Tenniswas histalentandbewasoneofthe state's,infactoneofthenation's, topplayersinhisrime.Hewas just18\Vhenhewasselectedto joinacouringgroupofplayers wherehewouldgettovisit Indiaonwhatwasasmuch anambassadorialvisitasa sportingone.Theyoungster wasobviollslyexcitedabout theprospectwhenhefu:sr heardofchepossibility.

"Therewererun1ours ofaninvitationbeing receivedbyWest AustralianTeru1iscoming fromIndiasuggestingd1e possiblevisitofaream offourplayers.During October1933theteamwas chosen.Onthe27"'ofNovember wesailedfromFremantle,"Chum said.

Therewasnoquickflight acrosstl1eIndianOceanintl1ose days.PassengerairlinesonlrAew domesticallysotheteamoffom tennisplayersboardedthe21,000 tonneSSNioolta11forSriLankaen routetoCalcmta.

Asianoceanictouristcruises certain.Lyweren'tabigindustry. Tbeshiphadrooinfor700but only40wereonboard.lrtook ninedaystoreachColombo whereChw11andhisteammates playedafewexhibitionmatches beforedisembarkingtothesmaller BritishIndiavesseltheD11111m1a andsailedontoIndia.

Youcanonlyimaginewhat itwaslikefortheyou.ogChmn landingonAsianshoresfor thefirsttime.Snakecharmers, elephants,festivals,theGanges, evensomeofthelocalsmanaging totransportapianoootheir headsareallrecordedinhis

"Theyspeaksuchgood English,"saidMr.Mookerji, meclubsecretaryoftheSoutl1 CalcuttaTennisClub,referring tod1etouringAustraliansand theirsurprisingmasteryoverthe Englishlanguage.

ArtheSoutl1Calcurraclub tournament,Chum didwell individually, winningalmost allhissingles.and takingourthe mi.xeddoubles championship. Hisstilltreasured trophywas presentedbyme Viceroy'swife, L'<ldyWillingdon, whosepalacecl1e playershadtoured earlier.Afterthetournamentthey commencedsomemoreexhibition matcheswhereIndiadefeated the\'X'estAustralianTeamfairJy convncingly.

AfterCalcutta,whereChum celebratedhis19'"birthday,Chum andhi1,teammatestravelled the1000milestoMadrasby train.Admiringthesimplebut fascinatingvillagesandme timelessagricultmepracticesfrom hiscarriagewindow,hearrivedio Madrason3January,1934.The

Aussietennisreamwastreated likeroyalty,byroyalty.Theywere drivenbytheRajaofPitaPoran inhisRollsRoycetocl1eirmany gamesandfonctions. TheMadrastournamentwent foroveraweek,butChum exitedmetournamenteadyh1 botl1thernixeddoublesand singles.Hemusthavehadan offday.Theoverallwinnerof cl1emen'ssingleswastheplayer (IslamAhmed)whomChmn haddefeatedinCalcutta.Itwas adifferentgamebackthenand

William'Chum'Stevens turns 100thismonth; AyoungChuminaction; Chum'smixeddoubles partnerMissParrott; Competitorsinthe1933 Calcuttainternational match itwouldbeunderwmdable tohaveabadday.\':v'ithnoball boysthey'foxed'theirownballs. Thesportinguniformwasalso modest-fulllengthtrousersfor themenandlongdressesforthe ladieswered1estandardplaying attire.Theadventofshortsinthe gamedidn'tevenmateu.oti.lrbe late1930s.

"Irwasn'taproblem," commentedChurn."Ttwasall weknewbackthen."Silll,itmust havemadeforalong,hotgame andd1etopplayerswouldhave beeninexcellentshape.

Mid-tour,theoppornmityof atourextensionwasofferedto thereammanagerbythe1ndian Associationbutitwasturned down.OneoftheWestAustralian playerscouldn'tgetanymoretime offworkandfearedhemight losehisjobbackhome.Under managementorderstheteamwas notgoingtobesplitandtheoffer wasdeclined.It'sunclearwhed1er Chumwaspleasedornot.Itwas suggestedmarifdieyhadtaken uptheoffertheyweretobe takenonaPantherhuntondie backsofelephants!

Thelongtourcontinuedas originallyplannedandthey wentontoBezawada,north ofMadras,andTrichinopoly visitingSrirangam'sfamous templeswherethetemple jewels,accmnulatedover centuriesweredisplayed. Thetouringpartyreturnedto Perthagain\7iaSriLanka.After ninedaysatseaandoverrwo monthsawaytheteamreturned home.

TheteanireceivedJettersof correspondencefromthetennis clubsd1eyhadvisitedthanking tbeplayersfortheirfriendship andcourtesy.Theymadelifelong friendshipsoverseasandamongst themselvesandmetyearlyafter theIndiantourforanother50 years.

Chumactedasagreat ambassadorforhiscountryand stateanditisvisitsliked1ese, separatefrompoliticsand boundaries,thathelpedcultivate theseedsoftruefriendshiptlrnt existtodaybetweenAustralia andIndia.Theysaybehindevery greatchampionisanotherhalf. ChumandbiswifeLillianwillbe remarkablycelebratingtheir75'h weddinganniversaryh12016,but fornowhappy1001,birthdaytoa trueAustralianicon.

Victoria's Deakin Universitycelebrates20yearsofengagementwithIndia

Waybackin 1893, formerAustralian Primel\,(inister andleaderof theAustralian FederationMovement,Alfred Deakinalsoknownas'Affable Alfred' predictedthatsmdents from Australia andIndiawouldtraverse internationalbordersandform lastingintellectualpartnerships.His longstandinginterestinirrigation andculmraldiversitymadehim tourIndia.Hepublishedaresearch report,InigatedIndia(1893),while hisexplorationsof thespirirual centres andarchitectureof India werepublishedi.oTemplea11dTo111h inIndia.

AlfredDeakin's foresight and desirefor collaboration betweennations borefrn.ition twentyyearsagowiththe initial forayof hisnamesakeuniversity into Ind.ia.hestoryof Deakin Un.iversityinIndiahasbeen one of collaboration,friendship andstrategicpartnersh.ipsthat transcendgeograph.icalborders to create avibrantculture of research excellence.

Locatedinthestateof Victoria, Deakinis apublicuniversity, establishedin 1974\\athd1e passageof theDeak.inUniversity Actof thesameyear. lt combines researchandteachingwitha strongfocusonstrengtheningme communitiesitserves.

Around 50,000students currentlysmdyatDeakin,.indud.ing almost 8,000international students from127 countries,includ.ing 1,150 studentsfromlodia.

1n 1994itwasmepursuitof excellenceandeffectivepartnershjp thatledtoDeakinUniversity settingup ajointventurein lnd.iawithd1eAssociation of Professional Engineers, Scientists andManagers,Australia (J\PESMA)to offermanagement programmes through distance !earning.Deakin Universitywasme firstinternationaluniversityjn_ the worldroset upan officeinlnd.ia, cwo years laterin 1996.

In menascent stages of its Indianoperations,Deaki.n's focuswasprimarilyonsnide.nt enrolments;witbtherelationsbip gracluaUyevolvingtoinclude partnersbjpswid1 someof India's leadinguo.iversities,research instirutions andbusinesses.

Oneof thegreatmilestones of me20year journey,alongsideme educationof manyhundtedsof Indianstudents i.nAustralia,is the DeakinInruaResearchInitiative (DIR.I), createdro helpto bridge meinnovationgapbetween academia andinduscry.Underthe DIRlmodel,aHigher Degreeby Research (HDR)candidateisbased atanInruauresearchinstitution with day-to-daysupervision providedbyalocalresearcher.A Deakinacademicstaff member servesasprincipal supervisor for dieproject andmecanrudacevisits Australiaforaroundsix:mond1s to conduct research.

"OurInd.iaofficeisoneof the jewelsin mecrownof our growth and success over the40years of Deakin'sexistence fromhmnble beginnings onagreenfieldsireat WaurnPonds in 1974," saidViceChancellorProfessorJaneden HollanderinJ1er address atthe

AustralianHighCommissionin e\V Delhl, heldto commemorate De."1kin'stwo-decade journey .in Indiaattheendof 2014."Itis agreathonour co beJead.inga delegationcoIndiaandhaveour 20 year journey inthiswonderful country,a risingrapidly-growing power,recognisedinsuchaway."

"Atalltimeswehavetriedro complementourstrengthsro theneedsof lud.ianstudents, mstitutions andindustries," explainedDeakinIndiaCountry Direccor,NewDelhl-based RavneecPawha."lnthatway wehavealwaysworkedas atrue partnerandthatis d1ekeytoour sustainedgrowthandsuccessin India;' sheadded.

Deakm markedthebiscoric Indian-Australianmliesconeby announcingmeexpansionof its operationsin SouthAsiato include strengthening cheuo.iversicy's profileandenrolment share from omernations including1epal, BangL"1desh, Burma,Bbutanand Mauritius.

The industry-academia fratern.ity fromboth India andAustralia haveacknowledgedDeak.infor itsresearchinadvancedmaterials, nanotechnology, life sciences and health; helpingto developsolutions to combat meworld's most pressing problems. ln d1elasttwo decades,Deakin hascomm.ictedover AU$10 million coresearchinitiatives infod.ia, with 20 strategic academic partners,20 research partnersand15 corporate partnershlps.leis hailedbythe Indo-Austra:lianfraternityforbeing accessible,helpfulandfriendly.

'Llve mefuture' is theDe.akinUniversity ph.ilosophy.Ir endeavours to nurture meper.sonal development andwe!Jbeingof jts smdeocs and sea.ff,co foster a vibrantandinclusiveculture wh.icbcrosses djsciplineand organisationalboundaries.

In2014,DeakinUniversitywas recognisedwiththeGovernor of ViccoriaExportAwa.rel foreducationand train.ing-a testamenttothequalityof itsinternational researchand education,notablyinlud.iaand ,vid1 Ind.ian institutions.

Therelationshjpbetween Australia and India is sec to continueto expand foryearsco come.

Diaspora's strength can be driving force for India: Modi

PrimeMinister NarendraModi saidevery RIis like a"shaktl' and if the strength of theentire diaspora canbeconsolidated,it couldbecome a drivingforcefor India's progress.

Inaugurating the13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the world'slargest annual gathering of peopleof h1dian origin,in Gandhinagar, Gujarat,Modi also said thathe hasfulfilledhispromisecothe diasporaof merging thePersons of Indian Origin (PIO) and OverseasCitizenshipof India (OCI) cards.

Heexhortedthe diasporato come and contribute to India's successin any way possible, includingknowledge,expertiseor skills. Hementionedin particular, theNamaami Gangeprojectto clean.River Ganga, andsaid40 percentof Indialivedby and smvivedon theriver.He said he was sure all NRls wouldbe inspired co contribute to this cause.

Modi said theworldis ready to "embraceIndia"andcited asauexainple the fact that his proposalat theUNtoinstitute an inter.national yoga day was supportedby a record 177nations and in just100 days.

"Wehavea lotcogiveco the world, we only lack the confidence," he said, calling upon NRis across the world toforge andtakepride in acommon identity andheritage,and to use this sn·engd1 collectively.

He saidevenif asolitary RI is presentanywhere in d1eworld, Indiaisaliveandpresentin that corner of the world through him or her.

Modi said he had met representatives of 50countries sinceassuming office inMay last year, andhe could say with confidence that allnationsrich or poor across the world today feel that their goalsand objectives can bemet in partnership with India.

He saidthenprimeminister AtalBihariVajpayee badproposed che ideaof starting aPBDandit was begun in 2003.

Referringcotheapparent slackeninginenthusiasmduring the past few years to the annual gala, Modi said [bat"in between, people didnotfeellikecoming. Pew would comeandafew came because they badto come;butI wouldcome regularly," to laughter amongthe crowd.

"Weare e::ftremely proud of ow: diaspora.They have madeIndia globalandd1eir strongvalueshave endeared d1em wherever theyhave gone," he tweetedlater.

Earlier,Modi welcomed Guyana PresidentDonaldRamotar,South African Foreign Minister Maire Nkoana-Mashabane andMauritius Vice PrimeJ'v[inisterShowkutally Soodhun who were on thedais wich him. He later heldbilateral meetings wid1 them.

He recalled bow lndian festivals such as Holi and Diwali are enthusiasticallycelebratedin Guyana, thatJan8 also happens to be d1e foundingday of the African National Congressin Soud1AfricaandMahatma

Gandhi'sbirth anniversary Oct2 isobservedinMauritiuswitheven greatervigour than inIndia.

APBD Kendra isalso coming upinNewDelhi and would be inauguratedsoonfor thebenefit ofpravasis,besaid.

Overseas IndianAffairs i\finister Sushma Swaraj said the government isdeterminedtowork closelywith itshugediasporato "leverageeachod1er'sstrengths for mutual benefits and urged professionals fromthe diaspora to join in efforts to developIndia and"restore it co its pastglory".

"Asuccessful,prosperous and politicallyinfluential diaspora isan assettoIndia, much asa strong and self-reliant India would bea sourceof strengd1 and inspiration for cbe diaspora.This synergy acts asavibrant bridgebetween usandsustains our relationship," shesaid.

Guyanese President Ramotar, chief guest at the13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas,urgedIndia to play amore active role on the global stage andbe the voice of the developing world.

SouthAfrican Foreign Minister koana-Mashabane said she was happyto join in thecelebrations of d1ecentenary of Mahatma Gandhi toIndia fromSouth Africa. She describedIndia as her second home havingspentsix yearsas a high commissioner here.

The government also announced alistof 15 !\.TJUs who would be conferred the Prnvasi BharatiyaSa.mman awardsfor 2015. The list includesRamotar andSatyan-arayanaNadel.la, CEO of J\lficrosoft.

The event is held everyJanuary

There's a leopard inmy bedroom:Aninjuredmale leopardtakesshelterin inside ahome in Gauhati, India, on 7Jan,2015. The animal, seriouslyinjured afterbeing ensnared byan iron cable, was tranquilizedbyforest officials andtransported to thestatezoological park. Due tohabitatloss, leopards sometimesenter populatedareasinsearch offood.

Photo:AP early 4,000delegates from 44 couna·ies aL1:endedthe Pravasi BharaciyaDivas2015.A mega exhibition spreadover1.1 million scifrwas also organisedas panof theprogramme.

The ordinance allows registration as d1eOCI of the spouseof a citizen of India or d1espouseof an OCIregiscered under Section 7A andwhose marriagehasbeenregistered andsubsisted for a continuous period of not less than two yearsimmediatelypreceding the presentation of the application under dus section.

ThelndianCitizenshipAct, 1955, provides foracquisition, termination,deprivation, de[erminationof Indian citizenship and other related aspects.

7-9co mark d1ecentenary of the returnto thecountry of India's "sarvasreshthapravasiBharatiya" or foremostIndian diaspora member,Mahatma Gandhi from SouthAfrica.

Earlier,Modiinauguratedthe 'Dandi Kutir' museum located opposite theMahatmaMandirin Gandhinagar. Thethree-storey exhibition, housedin a dome shapedSaltMountain structure, traces thelifeandtimes of Gandhi.

President promulgates Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015

The Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance,2015, which seeks to integrate the benefits given to Persons of lndianOrigin(PIO) andOverseas Citizen of India (OCI) has been promulgatedby PresidentPranabh Mukherjee.

"The president hai,promulgated the Citizenship (Amendment)

Ordinance,2015,Jan 6,wid1 immediate effect," an official release said.

Theordinanceal.lows registration as anOverseasCitizen of India (OCT) of a minor whose parenrs areIndian citizens.

Jr alsoal.lows registration as d1e OCIof a child ora grand-child or a great-grandchildof such a citizen, therelease said.

The act provides for acqui">irion of Indian citizenshipbybird1, descent, registration,naturalisation andincorporation of terricory undercertain circumstances, and also for the [ermination and deprivation of citizenship. At present,one year's continuous stayin Indiaismandatory for Indian citizenship which has been relaxed, staring thatif the central government is satisfied thatspecialcircumstancesexist, itmay, after recordingsuch circumstances in writing,re.lax the period of twelvemonths specified up co a maximum of thirtydays whichmay bein differentbreaks, it added.

Working to remove bottlenecks in doing business: Rajnath to diaspora

Union HomeMinister Rajnath Singh told the13th Pravasi BharatiyaDivas here that the Narendra Modi government isworking tirelesslytoremove botdenecks andcutred tape in order toimprovethe business environment in India.

Chairing asession on lovestment Oppornmitiesin Indian States at d1ePBD, the world'slargest annual gathering of peopleof Indian origin, Singh saidthe countryis "moving towards anera of cooperative federalism, givingvoiceto states in shaping theeconomic destiny of thenation".

Hesaidwitb this objective in mind, the government had replacedthe Planning Commission wim theNiciAayog fromJan 1 this year.

"lo democracy,we follow the dictum of collectivewisdom andcollectiveresponsibility.I amconfident chatomcollective wisdom will helpus in overcoming any differences," besaid.

Hesaidthenew government headedbyMoctihas al.readytaken a series of measu.res tore-ignite theeconomy.

"�le have reasons to be optimistic aswe areconstantly making cou.rsecorrections to gaininvestor confidence," he said.

Singh saidthe 'Make in India' initiative is a"missionto transform thiscountry froman importer of manufactureditems to anexporterof manufacmred products".

Tbeobjectiveis toincreasethe share of manufacturingin the GDP from thecurrent levelof 14 percentto 25percent.

Singh saidtheprimeminster "is focusedonimproving thebusiness environment in thecountryand has stressed on the mantra of 'M.inirnum Government,Maximum Governance"'.

He said thegovetnment is seriously pursuing early implementationof the Goods andServicesTax (GST) wh.ich "willcreate a buoyant source of revenueand create a large commonmarket by eliminating internalbarriers".

He saida decisionhasbeen takento allocatenaturalresources only through e-auction co ensure transparency."Such measures are necessary co rebuild confidence and trust that iseA'tremely important to revive investments and drivehigher growth,"Singh said.

Thehomeminister saidlnctia "has avastpoolof natural resources and skilledhuman resources co make thiscountry a 'NewManufacmringHub'.The peopleof Indianoriginand the NRis shouldinvest inactuali1ing thedreamof 'Make inInd.ia'.

India's progress cannot be achieved only bythe people living withinthecountry,"hesaidand urgedthed.iasporato"come and invest" inthecountryandbecorne an"activepartner in our definitive ma.rchcowards prosperity andin making fodia a global superpower".

India demands greatersayin UN peacekeeping mandate

Ur SecretaryGeneralBan Kimoonthismonth held "expansive talks" with External Affairs

M.inisterSushma Swaraj who raisedtheissueof theneed for troop-contributing coLmtries to have greater sayin theUN peacekeeping mandate.

Indiais thelargest contributor toUN peacekeepingmissions with8,000 persormel, deployed in 10 of the16 countries where theUNpeacekeepingoperations are on.

SushmaSwaraj raised the view thattheroleof troop-contributing countries shouldhavea sayinthe U peacekeepingmandate.Right nowthernechan.ismis fairly frail in terms of mandate of role.

Ban saidagrouphas been set up to reviewthemandate and it has anInd.ianrepresentative in aformerpeacekeeper,the spokesperson said.

Both sides alsod.iscussedtbe forthcomingcongress onclimate changeinParislaterthisyear.

SushmaSwaraj pointedout that lnd.iahas sca.rred ventures to ensure sustainabledevelopment.

She explained thegovernment's in.itiativesinrenewable energy and the cooperation witb neighbouring countries like NepalandBhutan onhyd.ropower generation.

"lndiaconveyed thatir is puttingina!or of effort and char the governmentis beingresponsiveto global environmental concerns," she said, accordingco the spokesperson.

Sushma Swaraj also raised the issueof reformof the UN, which is tocelebrate its70th anniversary chisyear.

"Ir wouldbe.anappropriate occasionformember stares to tryandrenewanorganisation whichisincreasingly being seen asnot beingable to act in terms of peace andsecuritydue to theanachronisticnamreof the SecurityCounciland its actions lad<.credibility," hesaid.

The budget of the UN was also discussed.

Ban appoints Khare as under-secretarygeneral forfield support

UNSecretary-General BanKimoon appointed aveteran]nd.ian diplomatand UN official, Antl Khare, as theUnder-SecrecaryGeneral for FieldSupport,making himone of therwo highescraukingInd.ians at rheUN.

Khare willjoinVijayNarnbiar, the Secretary-General's Special Representativefor Nfyanmar, on thewotld body'sSenior Management Group.

He succeeds Ameerah Haqof Bangladesh as bead of theU_ Department of FieldSupport, which backs uptheextensive networkof peacekeepingand political fieldmissions.

India's UN 1v1issionwelcomed hisappointment andsaid ic "has full confidence tbatDr.Khare will d.iscbarge the.important responsibilities entrusted to him with completed.istinccion."

InearlierUN assignments, Khare was chosen ro head the Change i'vfanagementTeam tasked with find.ing ways to reform tl1e organization's operations and improve efficiency.He has been the assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations and the Secretary-General's special representative forTimor-Leste.

A medicaldoctor by training, Khare graduated from theAll Ind.iafostin1teof MedicalSciences beforejoining theIndianForeign Service in1984.He also has a master's degree.inmanagement from tl1eUniversity of Soutl1ern Queensland.

During his lnd.iand.iplomatic career, Khare obtained experience in many troubled spots in Africa where theUNhas extensive involvement. As theCharge d'affairesof thelnd.ianembassy in Senegalhe was concurrently accredited to Mali,Mauritania, Gambia, GuineaBissauand Cape Verde.

He also served as the Deputy HighCommissionerinMauritius, aCounsellor at India'sUN 1-lission,tl1edireccorof the External Affairs i\iliniscry'sUN Division,and theDirectorof the ehru Centre in London. He also d.id a stintas the Chef deCabinet of tlieForeignSecretary.

Exhibition highlights

Indian soldiers' contribution in WWI

Through mundaneobjects like matchboxesand utensils,rare monochromatic phorographsof lndian soldiers cookinganda few silentmoviesdepictingtheir life duringthe FirstWotldWar a□ upcomingexhibition here willpay tribute to their unsung comribution clt1 cingtheGreat War.

The exhibition "India andthe First WorldWar"jointlyorganised byRoliBooks,the French Embassyin New DeU1i and the Ind.iraGandhiNationalCentre for theArts (IGNCA) wiUrunJan12-Feb10 to commemorate die100d1 anniversaryof the beginningof theWar.

Ir wouldn't be wrong to suggesttliat the exhibitionis thebrainchild of Roli Books publisher and CEO Pramod Kapoor, who first thought of thought of publish.ingavolume ontl1econtributionof theIndian soldiers duringthe War when, at the Frankfurr Book Fair,several Europeanexhibicors threw light onthislesser-known subject.

Aftercomingbackhe got in touch with Vedica Kant and AmarinderSingh,who researched and petmed Indiaand theFirstW1m'dWar(prefacedwith "If I clie Here,whowillremember me?'')andHo11011ra11dFideliry: Jntlja�-MilitmyContributiontothe G,-ertt!Far1914-1918.

"Thar interactionwith the exhibitors at the fair ledco these cwo books becauseI realised these stories need to be cold," Kapoor coldTANS.

But what exactly shapedupthis exhibitionwasatriptoYpres and LilleinFrance,where he learned thatIndianwar heroes suchas KhudadadKhanarehousehold names andeach familyhas a story to share about the warmth and bravery of the L1dian troops stationedin this region.

''It wasso fascinating ro see how many collectors had items used by the lnd.ian soldiers whileonthe Westernfront. It was duringthetrip I realised thepotentialandgravity of chis project," saidKapoor.

''Iwalkedalongthefieldsof Flanders where youcan still pick outpiecesof spent bullets embedded inthe soiland was moved by rhe sight of the tricolourand Ashoka's lion capital atMen.in Gate,"he added Kapoor thengotin couch with the FrenchEmbassy,which made arrangements to bringthefilms andmemorabiliato India for th.is exhibition. Apa.rt from tbis,rare photographs of lnd.ian sold.iers will also be displayed.

However, Kapoor hopes rhis exhibition reachesout to many people as books are readby afew, but visual imagery has the ability toreach out to manypeople.

Indian student loner convicted ofcyberstalking deported

AnInd.ian sn1dent, who"hada bardtime socialising,"hasbeen convictedof cyberstalkingand deportedafter socialmed.ia threatsof a copycat massacre cargetingwomenarthe University of Washington(UW0inSeattle, authoritiesannounced.

KeshavMukund Bhide,24,left onaninternationalflightfrom Seattle-Tacomafotetnational AirportDec24under tl1e watch of special,agents,accordingto theUSImmigrationandCustoms Enforcement (ICE).

Usingthe sa-eenname"Foss Dark," he had made severalthreats onsocialmed.iainJune to atrack womenlike a Californiakiller. BhidewasconvictedonDec. l1 in aWashington state-level court of cyberstallcingand sentenced to six months. Federal prosecutors, whohadalsofiled charges against hii:n,agreed notgo ahead with the federal caseif he left thecountry.

Bhide's outbursts appeared to havebeeninfluencedby Elliot Rodger,a22-year-old manwho killedsixpeopleandthenh.imself near theUniversityof California atSantaBarbaralaseMarBefore theattacks,Rodger announcedin aYouTubevideo tbatheintended to killwomenforrejectinghimand sexuallyactivemenforbeingbetter off tlianhim.

Inthecomplaint cothefederal courtinSeattle,FederalBureauof Investigation (FBI) Special Agent MichaelLouisBaldino saidBhide said "that he'sympathised' with Rodger'spersonal struggles."He also admittedafterhisJrn1e arrest "tl1at he hada hard time socializing at schoolandbad fewfriends;' Balctino said.

Inhis socialmectiapostings as"FossDatl,,"Bhide defended Rodger'sactionsandin a comment onJune9said, "Ilivein seatde and go toU\�tliat's all ill give u. Ill make sure Jkillonly women, and many morethanElliot accomplL�hed (sic)."

That tl1teat came atatimeof heightenedinseatrity in Seattle as only four daysearlier agunman had attacked the SeattlePacific University shootingdeadone sn1dentandwoundingtwopeople beforebewas overpowered by othersrudents.The shooter, Aaron Ybarra, had written of his hatred for everyonebut h.is familyand friendsandthreatenedco"kill everyone."

Bhide'scasebroughtechoes of a2003 case.inwhich an lnctia.nlaunched an attackat Case We.sternReserveUniversityin

Cleveland,Ohio,killinga student and wounding aprofessor and a researcher

Aformersrudent there, Biswanath Halder,waged a seven-hourgunbattlewithpolice beforehewascaughthidingina classroomcloset.J\tHalder'strial, his own lawyer describedhimas "thebizarrelittleman whonoone befriends."Hewas sentencedco Iife in 2006for tbeattack.

Indian-American alumni offersupport for US university

Two lndian-American families have offered financial support for the constructionof a new research and engineeringbuilding in theUniversityof Houston campus.

TI1eMehtafam.ily witb four siblings who all are alumni of the university's Cullen College of Engineering, together wich engineering graduate Durga Agrawal and biswife,Sushila,have made significant contributions to constructionof the $51-million Multid.isciplina.ry Research and EngineeringBuilding sd1eduled tobe ready for occupancy in 2016, accordingtOa varsity press release.

Thenew researchfacilitywill house "corefacilities shared by researchers fromdepartments arotmdthe campus, includ.ing high-performance computing facilities,anuclear magnetic resonancespectrometer laband imaging facilities".

Renu T<haror,Universityof Houston president, saidthe gifts highlight the university's global studentbody.

"Wecontinueto cake pride intheUniversityof Houston's internationalstamre,serving students,scholarsand researchers from aroundtlie world who are worlcing to address global problems," she said.

''Tbe enlightenedgenerosity of theMehtaand Agrawal families ishelpingto build a wotld-class facility that allows UH toremain a welcoming andinnovativeplace for chisimportant work," l<hator added without giving details of thecontribution made bythe Indian-Americanalumni.

TI1egroundAoor of the buildingwillbenan1ecl tl1eMehta Family Engineering Research Centre,while the second floor will bethe Durga andSusbila Agrawal Floor.

Bocbfamilies have high regards for "theenvironment"offeredby the university co itsinternational srudents.

"Itinfluencedus, andit gave us theabilitytoadjustto tlie UnitedStates.And it wasn't justus.They wereded.icatedto every.international srudem,"Jay Mehta, who earned his mechanical engineering degree from die varsity, wasquotedas saying.

"The University of Houston wasuoiqlle, because I was able to continueworkingonmy education and alsomy life,"said Durga Agrawal, who has a longrecord of involvementas aUniversityof Hollston benefactor.

IANS